Death, Love and Heartbreak
by KatLady13
Summary: A oneshot including RenRuki and IchiRuki.


**Death, Love and Heartbreak**

**Rukia had always known Renji loved her. He always seemed to be a few steps behind her, ready to catch her if she fell. They had grown up together, no one knew her better than Renji. No matter what she did, he would always be there for her, in any way she'd let him. She supposed she loved him too. He was kind, brave and reliable. He came with her into the academy and she was always the first person he came to with his progress. **

**That was actually how he happened to stumble into the meeting with the Kuchiki family. They wanted her to join their family; it was a guaranteed graduation from the academy immediately and she would finally be a part of a family. That was something she had never before experienced and she craved it more than anything, just a place for her to belong, somewhere that could be home. When Renji came in, the others left her to consider their offer. Once she explained it to Renji, he seemed stunned but that was only for a moment. **

**He told her to go…that it would be the best thing for her and she could finally have a family. He really did only want what was best for her…she knew that. That was when everything changed. She nodded and started to leave him, "Thank you Renji…" she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. She placed her hand on his arm, felt his muscles tense under her touch and then she let her hand fall…he caught it in his own and pulled her to him. **

"**Rukia…before you go you need to know" he paused and wrapped his arms around her, "you have to know that…I would do anything so that you could be happy." **

**Her hands were against his chest, face turned up to try and see him. She could feel his heart beating rapidly under her palm, he was shaking slightly and his eyes were closed.**

"**I know…I'd do the same for you." Her soft voice came out broken; she knew he was saying goodbye.**

**When he opened his eyes, she was nearly overcome by the pain she saw there, but underneath it there was something else she hadn't seen before; it was hope. He leaned down to her and gently kissed her. It was over before she could react or think and then, "I will never love anyone like I love you Rukia, no matter what you do or where you are…I'll always be here."**

**Then he let his arms fall, releasing her. But she didn't move; she stayed there staring up at him. Something came to her then, something she had never thought of before. Was Renji her family all along? Was being with him where she really belonged? She was able to relax around him, to really be herself and he did love her...**

**She traced her hands up his chest and around his neck, stretching up as high as she could, she returned his kiss. **

**That had been the start of their relationship and they had been together ever since. Renji was safe, comfortable and she could always count on him if she ever needed him. He would never abandon her. Rukia had gone on to join the Kuchiki family, but made them all aware right away of Renji. It had always been a point of contention between them, but Renji refused to let that stand in his way. He made his way up through the ranks to become the Vice Captain of sixth division, under Rukia's own adopted brother Byakuya Kuchiki. **

**It seemed that things couldn't have been better for Rukia. She was doing well in her duties and her family was finally starting to accept Renji. In fact he had proposed to her and she of course, accepted. She loved him, she truly did; he did everything he could to make sure that she was happy, but something was missing. Her life seemed mundane and deep down she hated it. There wasn't ever any excitement like she used to have when she was younger. It was true that it had been a fight to live each day, but more often than not, she found herself reminiscing of the fun she used to have. There had to be something more for her now…**

**When she received her orders to go to the living world on her first assignment she had been thrilled; this had to be what was missing! She was certain that everything that had been troubling her would vanish once she was there and she would be able to marry Renji without any misgivings, she was just in need of something different for a time, that's all.**

**It was a longer mission, six long months she would be away from her home…and from Renji. He told her that it would be good for her and that he was more than confident that she could handle herself and would come home safely. With a lingering kiss, he let her go, smiling all the while. She didn't notice the tightness around his eyes… Her older brother seemed annoyed that she had been assigned to this mission, but not really interested. He wished her a good journey and advised her in a calm and composed manner that she had better do her family proud. **

**More than a little excited, she had hurried off to see the living world. Once she was there, she had been amazed. The people there seemed so involved with each other's lives, and so oblivious to what was going on around them. She watched them, protected them and saved their souls when necessary. It was more grueling than she had expected.**

**On one such night, she had been tracking a particular hollow and found traces of it around a home. She entered, thinking only to find her prey and dispatch it quickly and efficiently, when she was rudely and forcefully pushed to her knees.**

**She spun around to face her attacker, only to see him. Ichigo Kurosaki was his name. He had the brightest hair and the most piercing brown eyes…eyes that had seen too much pain and too little joy. Eyes that could see right into you…that could make you lose your breath if you tried to match their stare. He could see her, and not only that, he could see spirits…all of them. Death gods, hollows and ghosts. **

**That night changed her life forever. She had found the hollow, it was after the boy and his younger sisters. He had foolishly tried to stop it himself, and if it hadn't been for her, he and his sisters would have been killed. She saved him; she had literally jumped in front of him and took the full brunt of the hollow's attack. It had nearly killed her. She had never been so happy in her life. The way he looked at her once she had done that for him…for a total stranger. It made her feel like she belonged. **

**He didn't quite understand, but she knew she had instantly won his gratitude and admiration. That was before she gave him her powers. At first, he felt he owed her something and that was why he went along with doing her work for her, other than that he tried to keep his distance. After a week, he started noticing that she loved to read manga. She started to find more and more of it lying around his room. **

**He started asking her to spar with him…he wanted to practice after all. She caught him staring at her in class one day, but when she asked, all he did was insult her. Insults she could deal with…anything else she wasn't sure. For a time, that was how they communicated. They fought and fought, over anything and everything that ever came up. She noticed that he was becoming more muscular and started a fight over how he always did homework and never went out. He noticed her skirts were entirely too short and started a fight over having to bring her food up to her all the time.**

**Sleeping in his closet…with only a thin sliding door separating them got harder and harder for both of them. The night the grand fisher attacked…she understood. She understood that what she had done the first night that they had met… That night, she had done the same thing for him that his mother had. **

**She watched him fight through his tears, felt his pain as he was attacked with memories and thorns alike, and she knew then. Rukia Kuchiki knew then that she didn't want to return home to Soul Society. She wanted, more than anything to stay with Ichigo. After the fight was over, and his head rested in her lap, she could no longer deny anything to herself. She loved him and she also knew that he loved her.**

**After that, she had tried to leave, but she never could. He knew something was wrong, she could tell by the difference of his frown. Her thoughts were consumed by him. When she wasn't around him, all she wanted to do was be with him. When she was with him, all she wanted was for him to take her in his arms and tell her what she needed to hear. **

**When the Menos Grande attacked, and Ichigo was able to defeat it, she realized that she had to protect him again. She had to leave him, no matter what the cost to her. They would come for him, and he would be killed. That night, as she lay in his closet, she realized that it was her last with him. She would never be able to see him again…**

**She bit her lip and dug her nails into her palms until they bled…no matter what she did, she could not stop her tears from coming. As if on queue, the door-the only thing separating her from the one thing she wanted above all else- slid open. There stood Ichigo, a shirtless Ichigo, she noted. She quickly dashed her tears away and looked up at him, "What?" she said, in what she hoped sounded like a tired and angry voice.**

"**Why are you crying?"**

"**I'm not…I'm just…I'm just not." **

**Then there were no more words. He leaned down to her, and lifted her chin so that she was looking in his eyes. There she saw that he wanted her to see…see how much he loved her, how concerned he was for her. Without thinking, she smoothed a finger along his creased brow and watched as the frown melted away and his eyes dropped closed. She smiled, he had that affect on her too. She let her hand drop down, but he caught it, and brought it to his chest, right above his heart and pressed it there. She felt his heartbeat, it was racing powerfully, matching her own. **

**She licked her lips…was this right? What about…her life? What about his? Then she felt him come closer, his heat washed over her…she could smell him and then his lips brushed against hers, for just a moment, and then he pulled away. She knew he had felt it too, there was surprise all over his face. A shock of energy, so pure, so addicting…it wasn't enough. **

**She pulled him to her and showed him exactly how she wanted him to kiss her. His hands smoothed over her shoulders and down her back, resting on her hips and pulling her closer to him. Her arms were around him, with one hand on the back of his neck, alternating between massaging and scratching.**

**When she opened her mouth for him and heard him groan against her lips, she smiled again, and wrapped her legs about his waist. In understanding, he rocked backwards and stood, lifting her with him, and in a few steps, deposited her on his bed.**

**There he let go and took a step back, running a hand through his hair. She knew what that meant; he wanted to make sure that she wanted this. To answer him, she unbuttoned her shirt and let it slide from her shoulders, and then slowly slid her pajama pants down, rolling her hips to accommodate her position.**

**She laughed when she saw how quickly he turned away from her. Then she stood and put a hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face her. She moved his hands where she wanted them, and then she kissed him again, drawing him down to her as she moved down back onto the bed. **

**She helped him remove his sweats, and after that, he had needed very little coaxing. He loved her with his hands and mouth and she returned the favor in kind, until he was straining against her and panting for breath. Finally, he laid her down and moved over her, preparing himself. She could feel the tension flowing off of him in waves, and held her arms out to him…asking him to come to her. There wasn't any need for words between them. He understood that she needed him, and knew he needed her that night. She understood that if she had never loved him, never met him her life wouldn't have been complete.**

**She wrapped her legs around him again, and he showed her then just how much he loved her, taking her to peak after peak of exploding fulfillment before he finally took his own. **

**That night, while he slept with his arms around her, she traced every feature on his face and kissed every crease. She ran her fingers through his hair and vowed to never forget the way he had smiled at her, how he sounded when he loved her or yelled at her…she told him that she loved him.**

**In the morning, Ichigo had wondered wildly if it had all been a dream, until he found the letter she had left him. He read it, feeling the rain coming down in torrents through his soul. She had left him. His life was different now. Every day, he hoped to see her again. Every night, he dreamed of her. Every second, he loved her. If what she had told him was true, he would see her again. One way or another, he would see her again.**


End file.
